Other Stats

April

https://radiofreecanadablog.files.wordpress.com/2016/04/riding-result-comparison.pdf
I wrote the attached piece prior to the sentencing in my first case but my lawyer chose not to submit it. While it is dated, in that things have occurred since, its conclusions are indisputable. Despite anything that was said in my trial and whether you believe me or not what is clear is that the only possible aberration in terms of the results in Peterborough for the 2008 campaign would have been if I had somehow lost. What this report clearly and indisputably demonstrates is that election results are largely representative of a much larger pattern, than upon individual candidate spending or campaigning. This was clearly demonstrated by the NDP Orange Wave through Quebec in 2011 where many of the candidates spent virtually nothing while others had never even been to the riding but were elected anyhow.

Thank you so much everyone for the outpouring of friendship and support, I will try and answer as many of the notes as I can. I was released today as the Ontario Court of Appeal agreed that there are sufficient grounds to hear my case.

Today Elections Canada was found to have committed a "serious breach" of my cousin David's section 8 charter rights by conducting an overbroad "fishing expedition" according to Justice Elinore Ready. Justice Ready further indicated that their actions were "deliberate" and that "the court could not condone" Elections Canada investigators behavior. She further concluded that Elections Canada investigators "should not be above the law" and encouraged them that "if we are going to prosecute individuals, lets do it the right way".
This is a courageous ruling made by Justice Ready and a very damning finding against Elections Canada. Some will recall that I stood in the House of Commons in June of 2013 and laid out my case detailing how Elections Canada had violated my section 8 charter rights as well; I take a great amount of comfort in knowing that they have finally been sanctioned and shamed for their conduct.
Both Justice's Cameron and Shaughnessy have lamented the shoddy investigation conducted by Elections Canada in my case. While both were aware of the investigators failure to demand phone records in a case about phone calls; records that were later destroyed by Frank Hall before we could obtain them under disclosure, amid other egregious gaffes, neither of them are aware that the investigators also acknowledge having "lost" incredibly damning similar fact evidence. This "lost" evidence, which was provided to them by a sitting MP during the course of their investigation unbeknownst to either myself or my lawyer, may have prevented them from ever being able to lay charges against me let alone achieving a conviction.
To apply the words of Justice Ready "if we are going to prosecute individuals, lets do it the right way". In the spirit of that determination perhaps Elections Canada might wish to acknowledge to the court that they "lost" evidence material to my case and failed to provide it under disclosure. If they continue to refuse to do so it tells you all you need to know about them and their true motivations. If however Elections Canada and the Office of Public Prosecutions truly believe in justice, as all Canadians would hope, then there is time for them to do the right thing. We'll see.

I was introduced to Rob Ford by Jim Flaherty who had been a long-time friend of the family. To say that Rob Ford was an original is an understatement; his remarkable 2010 campaign was entirely based on his reputation and the many bridges that he had built with the poor, the working class lunchbox crowd, cultural communities and common everyday voters. They trusted him to defend their wallet, not to squander their tax dollars and to be the voice of those that are all too often ignored in politics. He did those things and I can say emphatically having met with him that he cared deeply about Toronto and the well being of the people he was elected to serve. He had his demons, certainly much has been written and said about them but we all know people that battle addiction and hopefully we see more in those people and appreciate more about them than their personal challenges. I have never known a perfect person and according to my beliefs only one has ever walked the face of the earth. My prayers are for Rob's wife and children, his mother and his siblings. Despite the overwhelming pressure and attacks over the past several years, the Ford family remained strong and committed to one another which speaks volumes about their true nature and character. May they all take tremendous pride in knowing that Rob Ford was elected as a peoples champion and that he remains one in the eyes of a great many of those he passionately served. May God bless him and may he rest in peace.

December

Happy New Year everyone. For those making resolutions I encourage you to dream big and never doubt what you can achieve with determination and heart. I wish everyone a safe, properous, blessed and happy 2016.

Merry Christmas and Season's Greetings everyone. This is such a wonderful time of year. A friend shared a story with me that deserves to be shared so here goes. He was out for lunch a couple of days ago by himself and decided that as a random act of kindness that he was going to pay the bill for the table across from him. He summoned the waiter and indicated he wanted the bill, the waiter was surprised by the coincidence and explained that he couldn't pay their bill as they had already paid and covered the cost of his lunch as well. The story serves as a reminder that despite the awful naratives that dominate the modern media coverage that there are just so many good people in the world. Here is hoping that everyone enjoys a blessed and safe Christmas with family and friends and that all of us will take special care to raise up those around us whenever we can.

November

French President Hollande came to power promising to increase taxes on the rich, subsidize job creation and increase government spending (sound familiar). The results of this approach have not been good as France's unemployment levels have since reached record highs. Perhaps most disturbingly the data just released was compiled before the Paris attacks which has seen an immediate drop in tourism of 30%, a key economic driver in France. Governments cannot tax and spend their economies to health, such policies only lead to higher unemployment, more poverty and more debt. http://www.marketwatch.com/story/french-unemployment-rebounds-to-record-high-2015-11-26

The Russian fighter jet shot down by Turkish fighters posed no threat to Turkey. While it may have been appropriate to track its activities and escort it out of Turkish airspace if it ventured across the border from Syria, shooting it down was wrong. Turkey is not being targeted by the Russian military and they know that full well. The Turkish actions today are an unneccessary and poorly considered provocation in a conflict that could easily spread well beyond the borders of Syria and Iraq.

President Obama's rejection of the Keystone pipeline will do a number of things such as lead to even more oil being transported by rail, help the democrats fundraise for Hillary and of course result in fewer good paying jobs on both sides of the border. What it wont do is reduce emissions, in fact they will be higher as a result. The decision is entirely nonsensical for a nation with 2,500,000 miles of pipelines operating every day and its a clear controvention of the NAFTA agreement. Canada has in every way been a friend to the United States and we are anything but an environmental pariah particularly compared to any other nation that the U.S. imports oil from. As such, Canada cannot take this lying down; enough is enough! Our government must immediately notify the U.S. of our intention to file an appeal of the decision under NAFTA. The NAFTA agreement explicitly grants the U.S. unfettered supply of Canadian oil in exchange for unfettered access; we have kept our commitments under the deal and the U.S. must keep theirs. The republicans and a number of house and senate democrats are on our side, now is not the time to relent rather its a moment where our government must fight for Canada.

October

Congratulations to Kim Rudd, Maryam Monsef and Jamie Schmale on being elected to represent our region in Parliament. Despite my personal concerns with many aspects of the Liberal platform, I wish our representatives well in articulating on behalf of the people that call this part of Canada home. While our regional representation is split between the Liberals and Conservatives I cannot emphasize enough that when it comes to championing local priorities that all three of our Peterborough County representatives pull in the same direction. Good luck, God bless and fight hard for the Electric City region.

I like Lois Tuffin, she's bright, articulate and tough. She also assisted me greatly in getting out an important message to the voters that I was deeply honoured to serve in the community that I will always be proud to call my home. It wasn't her intention, but that's OK. With respect to the small handful of angry partisans that engaged in personal attacks, I'm used to it and I will never respond in kind; I will also not be detered by their garbage. These are dangerous times and there is more at risk for Canadians than simply economic mismanagement, its my hope that people will keep that in mind when they vote. http://www.mykawartha.com/opinion-story/5963821-over-the-back-fence-well-that-backfired-mr-del-mastro/

In deciding who you are going to vote for on Monday please keep in mind that we are living in dangerous, not difficult times. Anyone that feels that Justin Trudeau or Maryam Monsef have either the experience or knowledge to deal with a rapidly crumbling international comunity is fooling themselves. Remember Justin Trudeau's first idea/suggestion on how to deal with the genocidal actions of ISIS was to send winter coats.

September

Congratulations to the 2015 Blue Jays on clinching the AL East division title!! The players have demonstrated tremendous heart and determination and management should be recognized by the league at seasons end but the people I am happiest for are Phil Lind, Heidi Bonnell and the entire Rogers family who supported this team through some difficult years. I have no doubt that Ted Rogers is causing a joyous ruckus in heaven tonight!! Canada's team is back, for the first time in 22 years I just cant wait for October!!

According to former Liberal MP Pail Szabo, Mississauga-Lakeshore Liberal candidate Sven Spengemann "...failed to report many expenses, including room rentals, bus rental, campaign literature, signs and posters. He also alleges that Spengemann should have reported the cost of professional services provided by several campaign organizers, including those whom he alleges manipulated the riding's membership list. And he contends Spengemann should have reported the cost of paying for party membership fees, contrary to party rules." I gather that Mr. Spengemann doesn't deny the allegations as he has admitted that he spent $4255 of his own money and failed to report it. Elections Canada has however came down hard on Mr. Spengemann with a compliance agreement...That's correct, a compliance agreement. He's in fact running in this election and hosting a $750 per person fundraiser this month with Ontario Finance Minister Charles Sousa. Interesting stuff. http://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/election/liberal-candidate-admits-he-broke-spending-laws-to-win-nomination-1.2528103

The Iranian nuclear agreement which was largely negotiated by the Obama administration has gone from disasterously bad to absurd. Setting aside the nuclear provisions, when reviewing the deal I was surprised to learn that the arms embargo, which currently prevents the sale of weapons to the Iranian regime, was being lifted after 5 years. My immediate reaction was that this concession would immediately trigger a massive arms build-up in the middle east by those countries most threatened by a more leathal Iran. Bearing in mind that the entire region is already a powder keg, the end result of this deal is clearly that not only will all Middle East states seek to have nuclear capability virtually immediately, that they will also be buying every other millitary weapon that they can get their hands without delay. Here is where things get completely absurd...this afternoon after securing enough votes to override the bi-partisan majority in the U.S. Senate which will vote against President Obama's Iranian nuclear deal, Secretary of State John Kerry sent a letter around congress indicating that the Obama administration will be providing billions of dollars of new arms to its allies (Israel, Saudi Arabia, Egypt etc). So the end result is that the President of the United States is entering into an agreement that is so bad that friends of the U.S. need more bullets, bombs and missiles than they already have and President Obama is going to give them to them. Does this sound like a deal that makes the world safer to anyone? Anyone at all? http://freebeacon.com/national-security/kerry-promises-israel-saudis-money-in-wake-of-iran-nuclear-deal/

August

I am deeply saddened to learn of the passing of my friend Fred Rathburn, he was true Canadian patriot in every sense of the term and an entirely decent man. RCL Branch 52 has lost one of its most passionate leaders and volunteers while our city has lost one of the people that give so much more than they take. My deepest sympathies are extended to his wife Sonje as well as all of his family, friends and comrades who are mourning this loss. http://www.thepeterboroughexaminer.com/2015/08/29/fred-rathburn-honoured-for-his-years-of-service-with-legion

June

Yesterday was a tough day no doubt about it. Even in the midst of the most difficult times however I am always blown away by the kindness, friendship and support of so many and take heart in it. To everyone that has sent along messages of support and kept my family and I in your prayers thank you from the bottom of my heart.

May

I am disappointed that the jury in the Boston Marathon bombing trial has sentenced Dzokar Tsarnaev to death. His crimes are despicable, heinous, cowardly and unforgivable but I believe spending the rest of his life in jail is a much harsher sentence. Even though it's difficult, particularly when faced with cases like this, as a society we have to resist the urge and desire for vengeance and demonstrate humanity. There will never be justice for the victims of the bombing; no court process could possibly make up for the calous and intentional murder of innocent children and bystanders or for the horrible injuries sustained by so many good people. Tsarnaev should have to live with what he has done. Given that he is only 24 years old it is quite conceivable that his penalty could be six decades or more staring at concrete blocks in jail, there is no glamour in that and no martyrdom

Today the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Pain Capable Unborn Child Protection Act a bill that once enacted would prevent late term abortions that occur after a child is able to survive outside the womb. Of the 780,000 abortions in the United States last year just over 10,000 occurred after 20 weeks, a point of gestation where science has proven that babies experience pain and are viable outside the womb. This bill is a model for Canada and would go a long way in helping our country rediscover its soul and respect for human life. In fact, the bill could be combined with M.P. Mark Warawa's effort to end the practice of female gendercide whereby baby girls are aborted simply because they are a girl. That could be achieved by making it law that the sex of the baby may not be disclosed until after the 20 week point of gestation, a point where abortions would no longer be lawful. Stephen Harper has demonstrated himself to be a leader of courage on many issues, the issue of abortion sadly is not one of them. This is a law in line with the sentiment of the majority of Canadians and one that parliament and parliamentarians should be able to agree on. http://www.lifenews.com/2015/05/13/house-passes-pro-life-bill-banning-late-term-abortions-after-20-weeks/

The CBC is becoming increasingly irrelevant and its not their fault, nor is it a matter of funding. The truth is that their viewership for flagship programming is bad, really bad if you look at just Canadians under 50. The National is the #3 most watched national news broadcast, way behind CTV's viewership and Global's strong position everywhere west of Ontario. As I said, Its not their fault and that's because they are operating in an environment where younger Canadians aren't watching conventional media; the internet has changed everything. The CBC was created by a conservative government as a means of providing communications throughout the country and thus binding us together in a time where families would gather around the radio at night. Today we live in an era where cable and satelite TV are declining, the internet dominates as a communications and entertainment medium and we're not going back. Canada I would argue has also developed a strong and independent identity, its not the 1930's anymore and the ties that bind us together as Canadians are stronger than they have ever been (regardless of our individual political differences). Setting aside their television news, which is also webcast, and their unique radio prgramming, there is nothing that the CBC is presently doing that is not being done better by other broadcasters nor is there any reason for taxpayers to further subsidize their efforts to compete against the private sector in these market segments. What government should be doing is a full review of the broacast act, which prescribes both the role of the CRTC and the CBC and modernizing it to reflect modern day Canadian realities and preferences. The more than $1,100,000,000 that CBC currently receives from taxpayers should be directed toward supporting their CBC News channel and radio functions, the balance would be best directed into a coproduction fund that would be focused on growing the amount of content and programming being created in Canada in its entireity or in partnership with international creators. Canada is a talented, confident and outward looking nation. In this regard, we should be investing in projecting Canada and Canadian talent beyond our borders thus expanding the artistic and cultural economy along with all of the societal and economic benefits that go along with it. Those that advocate increased funding for the CBC are simply not acknowledging modern day broadcasting realities. CBC is suffering from a relevance crisis as opposed to a funding crisis and that's because its mandate and directives are aimed at serving a time that has long gone by. Canadians today want what they want, on the device they want to watch it, whenever and wherever they happen to feel like it, all of that is contrary to the CBC's mandate. I support a funding model for CBC and for our cultural economy that looks forward to the opportunities the future holds, I am opposed at throwing more money at a network to produce more programming that almost no one will watch. http://www.thepeterboroughexaminer.com/2015/05/12/we-vote-cbc-campaign-aims-to-make-cbc-cuts-a-federal-election-issue

"Tax the rich" plans hinge on exploiting a darkness in human nature known as envy, but they ignore the truth in Canada about how much Canada's top earners already contribute. Canada's top earners, known in every day circles by titles such as doctors, researchers and business leaders are already taxed to the point where the top 1% of earners pay 20% of the total income tax collected by government. They pay on average 50% of the income they earn in income taxes (55%+ in Quebec and New Brunswick) and then pay consumption and property taxes, how much is enough? In economics, ideal tax theory dictates that governments remain in the positive side of the "Laffer curve". What that means is that tax rates should be set at a point where they do not encourage tax avoidance nor discourage hard work and private sector investment, by remaining on the positive side of the curve lower rates actually generate much higher government revenues that higher rates. By trying to play the role of a modern day Robin Hood, Justin Trudeau's envy plan will result in brain drain as Canada's best and brightest will be more easily lured to work elsewhere, will drive up the costs of public services like healthcare as doctors and researchers will either demand more money to make up for the lost take home pay or simply leave to work elsewhere. The higher rates will result in less tax revenue, higher unemployment and less opportunity for everyone; that has been the experience everywhere where these failed policies have been implemented. http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/liberals-new-high-income-bracket-may-encourage-tax-avoidance-economists-warn/article24263994/

Ontario PC members be sure to cast your ballot for your leadership choice this week! Also, people wanting to vote in the Peterborough Conservative nomination must buy their memberships by Monday. Memberships can be bought online at www.conservative.ca. The nomination will be held using the old riding boundaries including Asphodel Norwood and Otonabee South Monaghan.

April

Senator Pierre Claude Nolin was everything you would expect from a passionate and articulate Qubecer. He loved Quebec and he loved Canada. His interventions at national caucus reflected the fire and passion that he felt on many issues before parliament and as such he had an impact on government decisions and direction. He was a good man, deeply respected by many and he will be missed. May God bless his family during this difficult time and may Speaker Nolin rest in peace. http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/senate-speaker-pierre-claude-nolin-dies-at-64/article24096511/

Prime Minister Stephen Harper's remarks on Ontario's new carbon tax are a welcome intervention. Not only are Ontarians going to have to pay more for everything they buy, the Wynne government has made it clear that they will raise substantial tax revenues from the scheme as well. He went on the state that "its easy to cut emissions by killing jobs and shutting down industries" reflecting the European experience with the same system of taxation. Carbon taxes are not about the environment, they are about raising taxes. http://t.thestar.com/#/article/news/canada/2015/04/23/carbon-pricing-just-a-tax-grab-stephen-harper-says.html

The federal government deserves a tremendous amount of credit for delivering a balanced budget today while continuing to reduce taxes and make targeted investments. It is so refreshing to see a government determined to live within its means!

The recent announcement by Premier Wynne that supermarkets would be licensed to sell beer was a decision that I considered long overdue. Sadly however, once again, its a window dressing announcement meant to distract Ontarians from the $1 per case tax increase that the government intends to impose in its upcoming budget. I say this because what I thought she meant and what should have been brought forward was the opportunity to buy beer at stores like Costco, like Quebecers can or the flood of Ontarians that go there for substantial savings. But that's not what Ontarians are going to get. No, far from being a consumer friendly move, the foreign owned monopoly known as "The Beer Store" will be maintained and "select" supermarkets will be allowed to sell six packs at prices "set" by regulators during designated hours. This is hardly consumer friendly. Why can't Supermarkets buy a license that would allow them to sell beer in whatever size cases they want for whatever price they choose? If the stores are prepared to pay for annually for licensing, and they are, and the government is going to collect its already sky-high tax levies on each and every bottle that is sold then why can't stores like Costco be permitted to sell beer the way they do in Quebec and why can't chains like National Grocers and Sobey's be allowed to compete on beer prices? That is what Ontario consumers want and its what they deserve but its not even close to what they are going to get. In truth what they are going to get is higher taxes on beer leading to higher prices with the foreign owned Beer Store monopoly remaining firmly in control of the entire market at dictated prices. Personally, I would prefer no change and no tax increase over what our Premier is proposing.

The announcements this week from Toyota and Ford to invest billions of dollars into new production in Mexico is deeply troubling. Ontario and Canada are continuing to lose out for one glaring and simple reason; we are not cost competitive. Mexico has cheap electricity, Ontario has the most expensive electricity in North America and its going to continue to go up. Ontario is moving forward with a cap and trade tax grab while Mexico is expanding its coal and natural gas generating plants and expanding its CO2 emissions. Ontario rolled out a new pension tax on employers even as its economy continues to de-industrialize while Mexican workers already provide a significant labour cost savings. The federal government's move to reduce corporate taxes, eliminate tariff's on manufacturing equipment and maintain accelerated tax write off's (accelerated capital cost allowance) are examples of its desire to compete globally to attract investment and job creation but they need a partner in the Province of Ontario that understands that we must compete on costs. Obviously, Unifor and Ontario workers have a role in striving to make our operations more cost competitive but they cannot be expected to bridge the gap when Queen's Park continues to undertake an agenda that makes Ontario a less and less attractive place to operate an auto manufacturing plant. Hyundai is going to build a North American plant and GM in Oshawa has no future product commitments; we need to set our sights on getting those investments made in Ontario. Subsidy programs will not fix the problem, we must fix the structural economic problems with manufacturing in Ontario that have been created. Ontario cannot dictate the manufacturing marketplace and it cannot move in regulatory and taxation directions that make it an outlier in North America. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-04-14/ford-said-to-invest-2-5-billion-on-2-mexican-powertrain-plants

March

How in the world is it acceptable following the disappearance of MH370 last year that Lufthansa would allow a single person to staff a cockpit on a passenger airliner? No matter what the final determination is in the crash investigation, this is clearly an example of gross negligence. If I had a loved one on that flight I would see that Lufthansa answered some very difficult questions about what they see as their responsibility to the passengers that every day trust them with their lives. This incident also further drives home the need to find MH370, the families and the flying public need to know how it is that a loaded Boeing 777 simply disappears (why are pilots allowed to disable their tracking systems in a post 9/11 world?). Seeing the images of the innocent people that lost their lives in the mountains of France this week is bad enough, knowing it was preventable makes it a turning point for both regulators and airlines. This can never be allowed to happen again. May God bless those who died and their loved ones left behind during this difficult time.

I am saddened to learn of the passing of a tremendous community leader and even better person, Doris Brick. Time and time again, voters placed their trust in Doris and she rewarded them with hard work, dedication, leadership and results. Without question Peterborough County and City are a better place as a result of her tireless efforts. May God Bless her family in this difficult time; may they always take comfort in knowing that our community is truly grateful for all that Doris did on our behalf. http://www.thepeterboroughexaminer.com/2015/03/12/former-county-warden-doris-brick-dies

February

Kathleen Wynne was just recently re-elected, she had a platform in which she set out her path and plans for her government's mandate should voters place their trust in her. They did so, no one can argue otherwise. What really bothers me though is that the mandate is now being used to advance policies for which she has no democratic mandate. Case in point, the proposed new sex education plan for Ontario children begining at age 6. Its wrong, just plain wrong. Kathleen Wynne's plan (she was the Education Minister that designed it and is now the Premier that is driving it) will force kids who should still be writing to Santa to instead contemplate sexual identity; why can't 6,7 and 8 year olds just be allowed to be kids? I signed a petition tonight at www.therebel.media which has been started by Ezra Levant, if you share my concerns I hope you will also take the time to sign it. http://www.forcanada.ca/protect_our_kids

Police in Kentucky get full marks for keeping a sense of humour through what has been one brutally cold February. If they do apprehend the ice queen Elsa I hope that they throw the book at her! http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/31551166

Parliament has voted overwhelmingly against doctor assisted suicide on several occaisions, most recently in 2010. The question of when a life is no longer worth living has evolved in the nations that allow doctor assisted suicide, demonstrating that it is unquestionably a slippery slope. The proper solution is to put more resources into palliative care and to preserve the notion that a doctors role is to always try to improve a patient's life, not end it. I have great sympathy for those suffering with terminal illness, almost no one will go through life without having the experience of supporting a loved as they battle a debilitating or life ending disease and sadly many of us will one day day find ourselves in that very position. I can say that I draw strength every day from witnessing my father's courage and fight to live against cancer. I learned so much through that experience about life, about strength and determination and about my father; how different things would be if he had simply ended his life in the face of the fight. Parliament needs to stand tall once again in the fight against doctor assisted suicide, its simply the right thing to do. http://www.calgarysun.com/2015/02/07/top-court-ruling-a-slippery-slope

The Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB) has just announced another $500 million investment into Australian infrastructure bringing their infrastructure investments in Australia up to more than $7 billion. While I think it's great that pension funds are being invested into stable long-term assets like roads and transit why aren't we investing our pension funds into Canadian projects as opposed to building them with more government debt? Canadians not foreign bondholders should be reaping the benefits of solid stable returns on new transit, high speed/performance rail, the 407 extension, new hospitals, new schools, and more being built or needing to be built in Canada. Ontario for example is building all of its new infrastructure projects by adding to the provincial debt, wouldn't it make far more sense for these projects to be financed by the CPPIB? Investing Canadian pension funds into our own communities will grow our future economic growth and prosperity and it should be our pension investment priority. Once again, I have no problem with the CPPIB investing in foreign projects as long as our own projects are funded first. There are currently dozens of major Canadian projects that could use funding support to get them off the ground, each of them have just as much merit as anything in Australia or anywhere else. I have twice proposed the establishment of a Canadian Infrastructure Investment Bank which would allow for RRSP and Pension funds to be aggregated and directed at building Canada's future, its time has come. We don't need to raise taxes to fund our infrastructure needs or grow the debt, we simply need to adopt a new funding and return model. http://www.bnn.ca/News/2015/2/2/CPPIB-pumps-500-million-into-Australian-toll-road-project.aspx

January

Ontarian's are paying through the nose for electricity for generations to come so that our electrical generation can be "greened". Ontario placed the HST on gasoline, home heating fuel, electricity and virtually every other emission causing activity in the province; THIS MEANS THE HST BEHAVES LIKE A CARBON TAX! Ontarians cannot afford to pay anymore to "do their part" to reduce CO2 emissions, we are paying enough. Please Premier Wynne do not further punish Ontario families with new taxes and fees. Any price on carbon will disproportionately impact on rural residents and residents of communities with limited public transit options (like Peterborough); it will make everyone in Ontario poorer and stifle economic growth in the province; introducing additional carbon taxes in Ontario is economic suicide.

Remember when a big snow fall meant school was cancelled? The coverage from the U.S. about the expected "potentially historic" snowfall has bordered on hysteric, its just weather people. When I was young on the farm, before we could afford a snow blower, I remember being snowed in for days at a time (once over Christmas/New Years when we had a house full of relatives). We never used the term "extreme weather" to describe it, although we thought it was a lot of snow and the sun always came up the next day. While necessary precautions should always be taken to insure safety, including road closures and warning people that a significant winter storm is imminent, what the 24 hour news networks have done with this expected storm is make it out to be apocalyptic (special mention also goes to New York Mayor Bill de Blasio). Its just a snow storm people, its a part of winter in cold weather climates and it will be melted in a few weeks. Don't drive unless its absolutely necessary, take a break when shovelling your drive way and try to enjoy days when our crazy busy lives are interrupted by events we cant control; buy a toboggan or build a snowman and relax, its just snow.

The terrorist killings in Paris today of unarmed members of the French media are tragic and deeply offensive. Over the past few months we have witnessed cowardly attacks on unarmed soldiers, unsuspecting police officers, patrons of a cafe, institutions of democracy and now a purveyor of free speech all in allied countries committed to life, liberty and freedom. There is no coincidence in the targets. Our collective resolve as nations that believe in life, liberty, freedom and the rule of law must be to root this evil out wherever it exists and defeat it.